Dating back to the kaleidoscope patented by Sir David Brewster in 1817, kaleidoscopes have fascinated countless persons, both children and adults.
Commonly, a kaleidoscope comprises a tubular barrel, which may include an eyepiece at a proximal end, two or more elongate reflectors extending along and within the barrel, and a case, which is designed to hold videnda and which is mounted to the barrel, at a distal end of the barrel. Videnda, literally that which should be viewed, most commonly are small glass or plastic beads in air or in a liquid, small ampoules containing colored liquids, or other similar or dissimilar objects.
In a simple form, the kaleidoscope is rotatable as a unit including the videnda or object case and the barrel. In a variant form, the videnda or object case is mounted to an outer sleeve, which is mounted rotatably on the distal end of the barrel, so that the case and the sleeve can be conjointly rotated while the barrel is being held. Rotation of the case and the barrel in the simple form or rotation of the case and the sleeve in the variant form causes the images to change dynamically.
As a medium for education in physics, mathematics, and practical arts as well as for entertainment, a kit allowing a kaleidoscope to be repeatedly assembled and at least partially disassembled without damage would be well received by those who enjoy building kaleidoscopes and teaching others to use, build, and enjoy them.